BNP in compensation claim for hall booking cancellation

The British National Party has said it wants a village hall committee to reimburse it for money lost when a booking was cancelled at short notice.

As reported in Friday's Echo, Devon members of the far-right party were due to host a fundraising Second World War-themed dinner at the Broadclyst Victory Hall last night, with leader Nick Griffin being the guest of honour.

The event was cancelled on Thursday by the hall's committee after personal details of the booking secretary were circulated by anti-BNP campaigners. Now the party says it wants to be paid back money it spent on food for the event, expected to be attended by 150 people.

Michael Turner, the party's South West elections officer, said: "The lady who organised the food was really upset when she heard it had been called off. She was in tears. Because this lady has paid out the money for the food, which will now be ruined, we will be seeking compensation for the loss, which I think is only fair. I'm waiting for the bills to come in and I shall give them to the hall committee. They just cancelled it without thinking about these things."

The meeting had been organised with the Victory Hall committee on the condition that it remained a private event.

The committee decided to cancel the booking when the personal telephone number of hall booking secretary Roy Elkins was circulated by a group called Hope Not Hate, which also published the number on its website, suggesting anti-fascist campaigners call him to complain about the meeting.

Mr Elkins said: "I do not think we should have to lay down rules about who is allowed to hire the hall and who is not. We are an independent committee and should be able to take bookings as we see fit."

The BNP said it would now hold the fundraising event in Axminster tonight and would attempt to lay on transport to it.

Douglas Hull, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Axminster, said: "If people are silly enough to support the BNP, then let them. There are a few local members and they do nothing for Axminster."

Express and Echo

Protest forces village to pull plug on BNP

Oh dear. Another venue bites the dust.

A visit by British National Party leader Nick Griffin to a village hall has been cancelled at short notice after pressure was put on the venue's booking secretary by anti-BNP campaigners.

Mr Griffin, whose party has been accused of racism because of its right-wing immigration policies, was due to address a black tie fundraising event at Broadclyst's Victory Hall this evening. But the group Hope not Hate, which campaigns against the BNP, used its website to publish the home telephone number of Roy Elkins, the hall's chairman and booking secretary, and urged people to contact him. It also sent out a number of emails containing the information.

Yesterday the BNP confirmed that its booking had been cancelled. Despite the setback, the party said it had found an alternative venue for the Battle of Britain-themed night, which is part of a national tour which organisers hope will enable them to raise £500,000 to allow the BNP to field candidates for every seat in June's European elections.

BNP spokesman Simon Danby said a campaign of intimidation and harassment had followed the party's roadshow around the country. "It is common practice for these groups to target village hall committee members," he said. "Some have had threats to their property and their homes. We are a legitimate political party and it is disgraceful that these people, many of whom have nothing to do with the BNP, have been targeted. It's very sinister."

He said he still expected between 100 and 200 BNP supporters from around Devon and Cornwall to attend the event, which would be held at a location due to be announced later today.

Gerry Gable, of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight and the Hope not Hate website, defended his actions in publishing Mr Elkin's telephone number.

"This is a tactic we have used around the country and it is proving effective," he said. "We always ask people to be polite to the person who answers the telephone when they make their point. We are perfectly within our rights to be doing this. With the BNP it's not just a few rotten apples, it's the whole barrel that's rotten."

The BNP outraged Broadclyst villagers last year when it held a public meeting in the Victory Hall.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Broadclyst and Whimple Derek Button said he was glad the village would not be hosting the party once again.

"Some people might say that we're a village hall committee and we're obliged to let the village hall without let or hindrance to anyone who applies," he said. "I might have been tempted to tell the BNP the hall was booked up for the next 49 years."

He said he was sorry Mr Elkins had been involved in the matter without his consent.

"Roy is a man who has given much of his life to the service of Broadclyst and it's a great shame that he's been dragged into this," he added.

Mr Elkins, of Beech Close, Broadclyst, chose not to comment.

Express and Echo